11/19/2010

These strange and unusual animals are the focus of a conservation program launched November 16, 2010 by the Zoological Society of London, one that aims to eventually secure the existence of some of the world's rarest mammals. The program, called EDGE (for Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) targets 100 species for scientific study, and the zoological society aims to take action on the top ten by the end of the year.

A baby slender loris is seen in this undated photograph released by the Zoological Society of London on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007. It isn't often that the northern hairy-nosed wombat, the slender loris, and the pygmy hippopotamus share the spotlight. But these strange and unusual animals are the focus of a conservation program launched Tuesday by the Zoological Society of London. (AP Photo/Zoological Society of London)

An undated handout photo received in London on November 18, 2010, shows a Chinese pangolin. A scaly anteater and a bat-eared bushbaby are among the weird and wonderful animals that have been added to a list of the 100 most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) mammals in the world. AFP PHOTO / Zoological Society of London / Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden

An undated handout photo received in London on November 18, 2010, shows a Malayan Tapir, at the Zoological Society of London. A scaly anteater and a bat-eared bushbaby are among the weird and wonderful animals that have been added to a list of the 100 most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) mammals in the world. AFP PHOTO / Zoological Society of London / Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden

An undated handout photo received in London on November 18, 2010, shows a Rondo dwarf galago. A scaly anteater and a bat-eared bushbaby are among the weird and wonderful animals that have been added to a list of the 100 most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) mammals in the world. AFP PHOTO / Zoological Society of London / Johan Karlsson